Nearly 150,000 people travelled to different tourist attractions across the country on the first day of the October 5-7 Pchum Ben public holiday.

According to a summary report from tourism departments nationwide, 1,469 of the total were foreign tourists residing in Cambodia.

The most popular destinations with the highest number of visitors were the Kingdom's main coastal provinces – Kampot at over 30,000, Kep at more than 26,000 and Preah Sihanouk at around 18,000 – followed by Pursat, Mondulkiri and Siem Reap, each of which welcomed over 6,000 visitors.

The figure indicated a drop of 44.91 per cent compared to the first day of the Pchum Ben public holiday last year.

According to the report, accommodation in popular tourist destinations such as Mondulkiri and Kampot has been almost fully booked until this coming weekend.

Some visitors, it noted, opt for lodging attached with a kitchen as they travelled with families and apparently intended to avoid large gatherings or to keep a safe distance from other tourists.

The report said local authorities went down to tourist destinations to raise public awareness about Covid-19 and to ensure preventive measures are implemented. They also instructed tourism site owners to follow Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and required all visitors to wear masks and avoid large gatherings.